Many fans see George R. R. Martin ’s A Song of Ice and Fire as a saga about Daenerys Targaryen ’s return to her homeland ( assuming she really gets there ) . Long before Daenerys , the Targaryens ruled for centuries . Here ’s the story of how Dany ’s antecedent conquered the world of Game of Thrones .
https://gizmodo.com/a-complete-guide-to-the-mythical-history-of-westeros-1710148588
Before the Doom
The Targaryen family hails from a region of the world to the far East of Westeros . They were one among many noble houses that play a part in ruling it : the vast conglomerate of the Valyrian Freehold .
Hundreds of years before the effect of the Song of Ice and Fire series , Westeros and Essos wasa place of magic and mythological creatures , and Valyria was no exception : not only were the rule houses perfervid practitioners of magic — Valyria ’s skin cities were build and keep using charming powers — but also breeders of dragons , fearsome , fire - external respiration creatures that Valyrians trained and rode into battle .
Using the might of their thaumaturgy and their Draco rider , Valyria expanded from a individual city - state of matter to a powerful empire , that disperse across the easterly continent of Essos and ruled for thou of twelvemonth . This was seen as the peak of civilisation in the known world : champions of polish and art , as well as in military tactics and weapons production ( You oftentimes hear characters in Game of Thrones name to Valyrian Steel , an improbably potent metal , pervade with magic , that only exists in a handful of swords by the time of the TV show ) .
House Targaryen was a pocket-sized ruling family in the Empire , but that small size control its survival when the Valyrian Empire came crumbling down . After his daughter had a prophetical imagination of the Empire ’s destruction , Aenar Targaryen took his family and their five dragons to the furthest reaches of the Valyrian Empire — a little island off the coast of Westeros called Dragonstone — to try and keep them safe . It was a decision that prove portentous : 12 years later , the magic - infused ring of Volcanoes that Valyria had build its working capital metropolis on exploded in a cataclysmal storm of demolition . The city of Valyria was eradicated , as was much of the demesne it was built on , and millions of Valyrians go in a dark of storm and firing . The few that exist what would eventually be have it off as “ The Doom ” were brought down by the nations that the Empire had enslave , which saw the loss of Valyria as an chance to free themselves .
The Targaryens rest untouched and safe on Dragonstone , believing themselves and their dragons to be the sole survivors of the once - mighty Valyrian Empire .
Aegon the Conqueror
After the loss of their homeland , the Targaryens spend just over a hundred years on Dragonstone , unsure of what to do to survive . They attempted to take form fresh coalition with Eastern kingdom like Volantis — which had spent the old age after the doomsday strain to take over the regions of land formerly held by the Valyrians . ( Those regions had become known as the nine free cities of Essos . ) But in the end , the Targaryens chose to remain separated . Almost all of their tartar died , leaving only one original , along with two hatched on Dragonstone . House Targaryen was seemingly contented to exist out the rest of its being as the rulers of Dragonstone and nothing more …
Until Aegon Targaryen was born . Brash and untested , Aegon develop a taste for battle ( and aspiration far beyond Dragonstone ) early in life , after he help kill another attempt by Volantis to take over the liberal cities . So he plant his eye on Westeros . By the time Aegon was support , the neighborhood was used to invasion — while Valyria flourish and fell , Westeros was invade and populate by the First Men , and then invade and populate again , by the Andals . Seven Kingdoms had take shape under seven noble house , each ruling its own region ( and now and then warring with each other over boundaries and country ) .
Aegon saw an chance to re - show Valyria as a ruling top executive once more , especially after he had a conflict with the Durrandon family ( the House that find the Stormlands before the Baratheons ) , which had been on Aegon ’s side in the battle against Volantis . So Aegon took his sister - wives and dragon to the shoring of Westeros . He crowned himself king in the city of Oldtown , and sent a message to each ruler of the seven kingdoms : submit to him , or fire .
Some submitted , some didn’t — but just two years later , all but Dorne had come under Aegon ’s rule . Establishing the internet site of his first conquest as the new uppercase city , King ’s landing place , and make Dragonstone a lower-ranking ruling butt for his successor , Aegon begin an geological era of Targaryen rule that lasted for 300 years .
The Dance of Dragons
Aegon ’s initial intrusion was not as easily achieved as the comparatively shortsighted war of subjugation might make it seem . Although the Targaryens ostensibly exchange to the Andal religion of the Faith , they still practice the Valyrian tradition of incestuous marriage , which they believed would keep the last blood of Valyria pure .
After 37 years of rule , Aegon died and was succeeded by his son / nephew Aenys I. This led to a revolt by the Church and the peasantry of Westeros , which formed the Faith Militant , a militaristic and avid arm of the Faith . Aenys died of unwellness before for the Faith Militant could be quelled — leaving Aenys ’ half - brother Maegor to rule Westeros and quench the rebellion ( something he did so viciously it earn him the name “ Maegor the Cruel ” ) .
Maegor ’s reign finally ended in his mysterious death little more than a decennary by and by , and he was put back by his own half - nephew ( and Aenys ’ son ) , Jaehaerys , who take a 55 year - recollective reign so peaceful — he disband the Faith Militant , rather than crushing them as Maegor had mean — he was dub the Conciliator , punctuate by his ability to negociate peace between squabbling Divine and even the still - uncongenial Dorne .
But in the backwash of Jaehaerys ’ death , House Targaryen was cast out into a war that would ultimately lead to its downfall — not at the hands of any of its enemy , at its own instigation . Jaeherys was succeed by his grandson , Viserys I , who was chosen to find by council after Jaeherys ’ own boy and heir had break down during his rule . Viserys himself was go through as a wise to ruler , but the selection of his successor caused corking ruction within the Targaryen family : He wanted his girl , Rhaenyra , to rule after his death . Although House Targaryen did not have a hard-and-fast assembly line of chronological succession ( such as the English Monarchy in our own world , who up until recently placed sons over daughters in price of lineage ) , Viserys I ’s choice to pass on his pate to his girl did not sit well .
Viserys ’ Commander of the Kingsguard hold his world-beater , to crown Viserys ’ son , Aegon II , as Viserys ’ successor . When Rhaenyra challenged Aegon ’s convention , the Targaryen family was rive into a blooming , violent polite war that would become known as the Dance of the Dragons .
Like the first Aegon ’s war of conquest , the Dance was short but tremendously impactful on the future of Westeros . Many extremity of House Targaryen perished in the two twelvemonth warfare , let in Aegon II and Rhaenyra , as did the Brobdingnagian majority of their dragons — the final Targaryen Draco die during Aegon III ’s rule , after the end of the Dance , marking the complete extinction of the species ( until Daenerys hatched her own ) . fall in numeral and without Dragons to enforce its prescript , House Targaryen ’s clasp on the Seven Kingdoms began to decline , just 130 years after Aegon the Conqueror had first landed in Westeros .
Rebellions, Revolts, and More Rebellions
The latter half of the Targaryens ’ rule over Westeros was marked by almost never-ending infighting and rebellion . Aegon the III ’s boy , Daeron , attempted an invasion of Dorne , which had resisted Targaryen rule since the House first came to Westeros — and was briefly successful , only to be slaughtered in an uprising . ( Daeron ’s grandson , also named Daeron — the Targaryens were big fans of that — would finally integrate Dorne into the Seven Kingdoms peacefully , through marriage . )
Aegon IV , Aegon III ’s own grandson , sired many children both legitimately and illegitimately , and then legitimized all his offspring shortly before his expiry , bourgeon a bastard House dubbed House Blackfyre . The Blackfyres , first direct by Daemon Blackfyre , rebelled openly three times — first against Daeron II , and then against Maekar I and Aegon V — before being ultimately overcome . Although the Blackfyres fail to establish one of their own on the Iron Throne , their ongoing rebellion weaken House Targaryen even further , with a speedy sequence of queen threatening to destabilize Westeros .
Downfall
Eventually Aerys II came to the pot , and the first one-half of his 20 year reign was marked with a sense of stability and predict the Targaryens had n’t seen for decades . But then , Aerys steady fell into a madness ( sparked by his abduction at the hands of the revolting House Darklyn , and the failure of his Hand of the King , Tywin Lannister , to free him quickly enough — although Tywin besieged the Darklyn ’s tail end for six months . ) He add up to suspect his court , Tywin in particular — their puerility friendly relationship had long since sour as Aerys sank further into paranoia — and he became fascinated with trying to bring back dragons from extinction , thinking himself the greatest Targaryen king since Aegon the Conqueror .
After profoundly offend Tywin by claiming the Lord ’s eldest son Jaime for his Kingsguard , Tywin resigned as Hand and left the uppercase . Shortly after , Aerys incited open rising with the public executions of Brandon and Rickard Stark . Aerys burned the two men active after his son , Rhaegar , fell in dear with Brandon ’s sis Lyanna , who was betrothed to Robert Baratheon , and be given off with her . When Brandon ride to big businessman Landing to present Rhaegar about his kidnapping of Lyanna , Aerys simply imprisoned Brandon , mobilize Rickard to Kings Landing , and then publicly accomplish them both .
In scandalisation , Robert , Lyanna ’s engage , and Rickard ’s son Eddard joined House Arryn in revolt — and Robert proceeded to try himself a able warrior , sweeping across Westeros and recruiting allies wherever he went .
In the end , 283 geezerhood after Aegon the Conqueror landed in Westeros , the rule of House Targaryen died in fire . As the madden Aerys laid plan to burn up King ’s landing place to the priming to fend off Robert besieging the urban center , Jamie Lannister betrayed him , running his sword through the King ’s back . Jamie ’s father Tywin assaulted king Landing , sacking the urban center and leading to the decease of Aerys ’ children and grandchildren … seemingly all but two .
At Dragonstone , besieged by Robert ’s brother Stannis Baratheon , Rhaella Targaryen kick the bucket move over parentage to her daughter , Daenerys , who was spirited away to Essos with her brother , Viserys III . Nearly 300 years on unbroken Targaryen rule had get along to an end , apparently for good — something that may exchange by the time the event of Game of Thrones and A Song of Ice and Fire follow to their conclusion .
Daenerys TargaryenGame of ThronesGeorge R.R. Martin
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